Books like 'Grimdark Magazine Issue #16'
Readers who enjoyed Grimdark Magazine Issue #16 by Adrian Collins, Ed McDonald, Timandra Whitecastle, Jeremy Szal, Steven Fischer, Michael R. Fletcher, C.T. Phipps, R.F. Kuang, Dean Samed & Jason Deem also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
fantasy grimdark horror dark fantasy dark post-apocalyptic
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The God is Not Willing by Steven Erikson
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsMany years have passed since three Teblor warriors brought carnage and chaos to the small lakeside settlement of Silver Lake. While the town has recovered, the legacy of that past horror remains, even if the Teblor tribes of the north no longer venture into the southlands. One of those three, Karsa Orlong, is now deemed to be a god, albeit an indifferent one... -
![Deadhouse Landing by Ian C. Esslemont]()
Deadhouse Landing by Ian C. Esslemont
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsAfter the disappointments of Li Heng, Dancer and Kellanved wash up on a small insignificant island named Malaz. Immediately, of course, Kellanved plans to take it over. To do so they join forces with a small band of Napans who have fled a civil war on their own home island... -
![Overworld by Rohan M. Vider]()
Overworld by Rohan M. Vider
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA magic apocalypse. Refugees from Earth. A new world. Elves, orcs, and dragons!Portals from Overworld have appeared on Earth, and beings intent on conscripting humanity into the mysterious Trials have invaded.Earth is doomed. Humanity has been exiled...Categorized as:
dark post-apocalyptic action-adventure apocalyptic audiobook book dark-fantasy dragons -
![Dancer's Lament by Ian C. Esslemont]()
Dancer's Lament by Ian C. Esslemont
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsTaking Malazan fans back to that troubled continent's turbulent early history. The opening chapter in Ian C. Esslemont's epic new fantasy sequence, the Path to Ascendancy trilogy.For ages warfare has crippled the continent as minor city states, baronies, and principalities fought in an endless round of hostilities... -
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![Age of Stone by Jez Cajiao, Neil Hellegers]()
Age of Stone by Jez Cajiao, Neil Hellegers
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn all the games Matt has played, Dungeons are places to raid, places you dream of conquering, but when the world is stripped of electricity, and the first mana-twisted beasts start to prowl, the games all come to an end.. -
![Kings of Ash by Richard Nell]()
Kings of Ash by Richard Nell
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe much anticipated continuation of the Ash and Sand trilogy...Follow the long, bloody journey of Ruka, son of Beyla through the islands of Pyu and the frozen wastes of the Ascom; see the return home of Ratama Kale Alaku, the 'Sorcerer-Prince', and the terrifying rise of his 'miracles'... -
![The Wheel of Osheim by Mark Lawrence]()
The Wheel of Osheim by Mark Lawrence
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsFrom the international bestselling author of the Broken Empire Trilogy, the thrilling conclusion to the Red Queen’s War... Mark Lawrence’s “epic fantasy” (The Washington Post) continues as a reluctant prince returns from the bowels of Hell to engage in his greatest battle yet—among the living and the dead... -
![Iron Will by Kirill Klevanski]()
Iron Will by Kirill Klevanski
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn the first book, Hadjar lost it all. His body ruined, parents dead, and his title of Prince replaced by a slave collar. It seemed like Primus had deprived him of everything.But no one can take away a man's will to fight. Even if his heart turns into a bleeding stone due to endless grief and suffering, it won't matter.The most important thing was that he still had the will to go on...Categorized as:
dark post-apocalyptic action-adventure adult ancient-china ancient-civilization audiobook book -
![The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett]()
The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 68 ratingsAs darkness falls after sunset, the corelings rise—demons who possess supernatural powers and burn with a consuming hatred of humanity. For hundreds of years the demons have terrorized the night, slowly culling the human herd that shelters behind magical wards—symbols of power whose origins are lost in myth and whose protection is terrifyingly fragile. It was not always this way...Categorized as:
dark post-apocalyptic action-adventure audiobook book coming-of-age contemporary dark-fantasy -
![The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett]()
The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 61 ratingsThe sun is setting on humanity. The night now belongs to voracious demons that prey upon a dwindling population forced to cower behind half-forgotten symbols of power. Legends tell of a Deliverer: a general who once bound all mankind into a single force that defeated the demons. But is the return of the Deliverer just another myth? Perhaps not...Categorized as:
dark post-apocalyptic action-adventure audiobook book contemporary dark-fantasy demons -
![Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence]()
Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 44 ratingsKing Jorg Ancrath is twenty now—and king of seven nations. His goal—revenge against his father—has not yet been realized, and the demons that haunt him have only grown stronger. Yet no matter how tortured his path, he intends to take the next step in his upward climb. Jorg would be emperor. It is a position not to be gained by the sword but rather by vote...Categorized as:
dark post-apocalyptic action-adventure anti-hero apocalyptic audiobook book coming-of-age -
![Wagga by Alex Kozlowski]()
Wagga by Alex Kozlowski
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn the apocalypse, the first weapon he’ll have to upgrade is himself.The end of the world as we know it couldn’t come at a worse time for Adrian.One minute, he’s an operations manager who’s overseeing a construction job in the wilderness. The next, an unknown energy force changes the very nature of life itself, from the smallest organism to the top of the food chain...Categorized as:
post-apocalyptic dark fantasy litrpg progression-fantasy audiobook apocalyptic action-adventure -
![The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett]()
The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 49 ratingsOn the night of the new moon, the demons rise in force, seeking the deaths of two men both of whom have the potential to become the fabled Deliverer, the man prophesied to reunite the scattered remnants of humanity in a final push to destroy the demon corelings once and for all...Categorized as:
dark post-apocalyptic 21st-century action-adventure audiobook book contemporary dark-fantasy -
![The Warring Son by Bryce O'Connor]()
The Warring Son by Bryce O'Connor
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 24 ratings**Book 2 in the Top 10 Bestselling Epic Fantasy series on Amazon** Raz i'Syul Arro is a hunted man. To the south, the Mahsadën of Miropa are gone. The šef lay dead, slain at Raz's own hands, their cruel will ripped from the shadows of the city... -
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![King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence]()
King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 53 ratingsThe second book in the Broken Empire series, Lawrence takes his young anti-hero one step closer to his grand ambition.To reach greatness you must step on bodies, and many brothers lie trodden in my wake...Categorized as:
dark post-apocalyptic action-adventure anti-hero apocalyptic audiobook book dark-fantasy -
![Inflection Point by John G. Hartness]()
Inflection Point by John G. Hartness
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHis uncle has been kidnapped. A shadowy government agency is torturing cryptids in his city. His Sanctuary has been revoked from the one place he could drink safely. There's a medusa at the mall. A fairy princess might have just summoned an Old One in a public park. Quincy Harker really wishes he'd just stayed in Memphis. But he didn't... -
![Queen of the Night Guild by Andy Peloquin]()
Queen of the Night Guild by Andy Peloquin
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHer life burned to ashes. Her city under siege. She will sacrifice everything she has for bloody vengeance.Ilanna has lost everything: her friends, her home, her family, her dreams of freedom. All that remains is a burning desire to find the bastards who burned down her city and tried to kill her.But a traitor hides among the ranks of the Night Guild, poisoning her friends and allies with lies... -
![Herald by Rob J. Hayes]()
Herald by Rob J. Hayes
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA thousand years ago, humanity's greatest heroes killed God. Across the land of Helesia, the iron grasp of the Godless Kings is failing. Demons stalk the deep forests, monsters break free of their prisons beneath the World Vein, and terrors of the old world rise again... -
![Dawn of the Exile by Mitchell Hogan]()
Dawn of the Exile by Mitchell Hogan
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFor the damned, redemption may be just a mad dream…Years have passed since the demon Tarrik and his master, the sorcerer Ren, destroyed the servants of Samal and suppressed the very essence of the vile lord. The cost was greater than even a demon could have imagined. But in the realms of demons and humans, no evil can be fully controlled, and no one’s true fate can be foretold. Including Tarrik’s... -
![Priest of Lies by Peter McLean]()
Priest of Lies by Peter McLean
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsTomas Piety has been many things: soldier, priest, gangster...and spy. As Tomas's power grows, the nobility better watch their backs, in this dark and gritty epic fantasy series.People are weak, and the poorer and more oppressed they are, the weaker they become--until they can't take it anymore. And when they rise up...may the gods help their oppressors... -
![Legion by Robert J. Crane]()
Legion by Robert J. Crane
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMidian, Tennessee is under siege. Demons prowl the streets and the underworld is rising, bent on consuming every living thing in the town. The only thing that keeps them back is the Watch; a group of citizens that are dedicated to holding the line against the darkness. They've faced every kind of physical threat imaginable and come out victorious... -
![Priest of Gallows by Peter McLean]()
Priest of Gallows by Peter McLean
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsGangster, soldier, priest. Queen's Man. Governor.Tomas Piety has everything he ever wanted. In public he's a wealthy, highly respected businessman, happily married to a beautiful woman and Governor of his home city of Ellinburg. In private, he's no longer a gang lord but one of the Queen's Men, invisible and officially non-existent, working in secret to protect his country... -
![The Free Bastards by Jonathan French]()
The Free Bastards by Jonathan French
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe long-awaited war has come in the sweeping conclusion to the Lot Lands trilogy--another irresistibly swashbuckling, swaggering, foul-mouthed fantasy.The long-awaited war has come in the sweeping conclusion to the Lot Lands trilogy--another irresistibly swashbuckling, swaggering, foul-mouthed fantasy... -
![God of Broken Things by Cameron Johnston]()
God of Broken Things by Cameron Johnston
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn outcast magician must risk his body and mind to save the world from horrifying demons, in the heart-pounding epic fantasy sequel to The Traitor God.Tyrant magus Edrin Walker destroyed the monster sent by the Skallgrim, but not before it laid waste to Setharis, and infested their magical elite with mind-controlling parasites... -
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![Idols Fall by Mike Shel]()
Idols Fall by Mike Shel
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratings“AT LONG LAST, EVEN GODS WILL KNOW REGRET…”Agnes Manteo now bears her father’s sentient Djao sword, along with a terrible revelation—the gods are charlatans, ancient sorcerers who draw their strength from the suffering of humanity. She and her Syraeic companions have but one duty: to track down those pretenders and end their reign of cruelty and lies, no matter the cost... -
![To Blackfyre Keep by Anthony Ryan]()
To Blackfyre Keep by Anthony Ryan
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsGUYIME—DEMON CURSED WIELDER OF THE NAMELESS BLADE—FOLLOWS THE TRAIL OF THE FABLED SEVEN SWORDS INTO THE TROUBLED NORTHLANDS, A REALM WHERE HE WAS ONCE CALLED KING…AND RAVAGER.Magically guided to enlist in the retinue of a lovesick knight, Guyime and his companions journey to the haunted ruin of Blackfyre Keep, a castle legend tells cannot be held. But a far deadlier threat than mere ghosts awaits... -
![A Dance of Chaos by David Dalglish]()
A Dance of Chaos by David Dalglish
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFEAR COMES IN THE HANDS OF PROPHETS... The final installment of the Shadowdance series finds Haern the Watcher returning to his beloved city of Veldaren, only to find it has collapsed into chaos. The Sun Guild has conquered the former thief guilds, destroying the peace Haern fought so hard to obtain... -
![The Sword of the Lictor by Gene Wolfe]()
The Sword of the Lictor by Gene Wolfe
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsAlternative cover editions for this ISBN exist here and here.Beneath the dying sun the disgraced torturer, Severian, at last comes to his place of exile - Thrax, the city of Windowless Rooms.But Severian's journey is not ended, and high in Earth's ancient mountains he draws closer to his destiny...Categorized as:
dark post-apocalyptic 20th-century action-adventure adult aliens apocalyptic audiobook -
![The Core by Peter V. Brett]()
The Core by Peter V. Brett
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsFor time out of mind, bloodthirsty demons have stalked the night, culling the human race to scattered remnants dependent on half-forgotten magics to protect them. Then two heroes arose—men as close as brothers, yet divided by bitter betrayal... -
![Crowfall by Ed McDonald]()
Crowfall by Ed McDonald
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsCrowfall is a gritty epic fantasy for fans of Mark Lawrence, Scott Lynch and Daniel Polansky.'Dark, twisty and excellent . . . Grimdark with heart' Mark LawrenceA sorceress cataclysm has hit the Range, the final defensive line between the Republic and the immortal Deep Kings... -
![Thief of the Night Guild by Andy Peloquin]()
Thief of the Night Guild by Andy Peloquin
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe impossible becomes inevitable with the fate of her loved ones hanging in the balance…A cunning thief of unrivaled ingenuity, Ilanna is determined to secure her freedom at any cost. No price is too high to break the shackles of the Night Guild's callous cruelty.With her future on the line, nothing will stand in her way, not even the most powerful man in Praamis, Duke Phonnis... -
![Legacy of Light by Matthew Ward]()
Legacy of Light by Matthew Ward
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWarfare, myth and magic collide in Legacy of Light, the spectacular conclusion to Matthew Ward's acclaimed Legacy trilogy.For the first time in many years, the Tressian Republic and the Hadari Empire are at peace. But war never sleeps.In Tregard, Empress Melanna Saranal struggles to protect a throne won at great cost... -
![Shadow of the Lantern Bearer by Chris R. Underwood]()
Shadow of the Lantern Bearer by Chris R. Underwood
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMagic is a disease. It spreads like a plague and drives the infected mad with power.Death is the only cure.Seventeen-year-old Kole Felmen is destined for a life spent executing infected sorcerers and disposing of their tainted remains.But his first execution ends in disaster... -
![Those Brave, Foolish Souls from the City of Swords by Benedict Patrick]()
Those Brave, Foolish Souls from the City of Swords by Benedict Patrick
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDon't draw your blade in the City of Swords, unless you're willing to kill… or ready to die.Young and filled with idealistic fervor, Arturo packs his blade and travels to the fabled City of Swords in the hopes of joining the dashing Bravadori. Yet upon arriving he discovers these masked vigilantes have more in common with brutal thugs than noble monster slayers... -
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![Legacy of Ghosts by Alicia Wanstall-Burke]()
Legacy of Ghosts by Alicia Wanstall-Burke
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFour years have passed since Lidan’s world was ripped apart, and time is running out to change her father’s mind about the succession before the bargain with her mother expires... -
![Vigor Mortis: Volume 1 by Natalie Maher]()
Vigor Mortis: Volume 1 by Natalie Maher
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCasting necromancy without ever learning how isn't supposed to be possible. A starving orphan girl named Vita is somehow managing it anyway, and she's not sure if this is going to be the solution to her life's problems or a horrifying, spiraling mess into problems she can't even conceive... -
![One Man: A City of Fallen Gods Novel by Harry Connolly]()
One Man: A City of Fallen Gods Novel by Harry Connolly
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOne Cursed City. Two Dead Gods. Ten Thousand Murderers and Thieves. One Orphaned Girl.As a child, Kyrioc was groomed to be the head of one of the most powerful noble families in Koh-Salash, a city built inside the skeletons of two murdered gods. Kyrioc himself dreamed of becoming head of the High Watch, the highest political position in the land.Those dreams have turned to dust... -
![The Fifth Empire of Man by Rob J. Hayes]()
The Fifth Empire of Man by Rob J. Hayes
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Pirate Isles are united under Drake Morrass’ flag, but the war has only just begun. There’s still a long way to go before he’s able to call himself King. The Five Kingdoms and Sarth have assembled a fleet of ships unlike any the world has ever seen, and they intend to purge the Pirate Isles once and for all... -
![She Dreams in Blood by Michael R. Fletcher]()
She Dreams in Blood by Michael R. Fletcher
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDrawn by the shards of his obsidian heart, Khraen follows the path south. The islands, largely ignored by the Wizard’s Guild, have become a refuge for the unwanted of the world. Necromancers and sorcerers rule warring tribes haunted by the ghosts of savage and primal gods.With each fragment Khraen discovers more of the man he was.There was an Empire.There was a god.And she dreamed in blood... -
![Child of the Night Guild by Andy Peloquin]()
Child of the Night Guild by Andy Peloquin
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThey killed her family. They ripped apart her home. But to repay her debts, she'll have to sacrifice her innocence. Robbed of everything she loves, Viola mourns the sudden loss of her mother. Now burdened with an impossible debt to the Night Guild, she’s forced to train as a cunning thief... -
![The Blackest Heart by Brian Lee Durfee]()
The Blackest Heart by Brian Lee Durfee
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGladiator. Assassin. Thief. Princess. And the Slave. The Five Warrior Angels have been revealed, one by one the mystical weapons they once wielded are being found, and an ancient prophecy is finally being fulfilled. Or is it? For when it comes to recorded history, much is intended to manipulate and deceive... -
![A Drink Before We Die by Daniel Polansky]()
A Drink Before We Die by Daniel Polansky
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA thrilling introduction to the world of the widely acclaimed Low Town trilogy.Rigus is the greatest city in the Thirteen Lands, a glittering metropolis of towering citadels and sumptuous manors, where bored nobles settle affairs of honor with cold steel, and sorcerers craft enchantments of wonder and majesty... -
![Desolation by Megg Jensen]()
Desolation by Megg Jensen
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTressa's army won the battle, but at a terrible cost. So many lives lost. So many lovers torn asunder. And that was just the beginning. An ancient beast rumbles beneath the Dragonlands, thirsting for blood. Dragon blood. Setting aside her heartbreak, Tressa ventures beyond the Dragonlands to the mysterious realm of Desolation, searching for allies and answers... -
![The Skull Throne by Peter V. Brett]()
The Skull Throne by Peter V. Brett
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsThe Skull Throne of Krasia stands empty. Built from the skulls of fallen generals and demon princes, it is a seat of honor and ancient, powerful magic, keeping the demon corelings at bay. From atop the throne, Ahmann Jardir was meant to conquer the known world, forging its isolated peoples into a unified army to rise up and end the demon war once and for all... -
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![The Seven by Peter Newman]()
The Seven by Peter Newman
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsYears have passed since the Vagrant journeyed to the Shining City, Vesper in arm and Gamma’s sword in hand.Since then the world has changed. Vesper, following the footsteps of her father, journeyed to the breach and closed the tear between worlds, protecting the last of humanity, but also trapping the infernal horde and all those that fell to its corruptions: willing or otherwise...Categorized as:
dark post-apocalyptic action-adventure apocalyptic audiobook book cyberpunk dark-fantasy -
![The Great Change by Joe Abercrombie]()
The Great Change by Joe Abercrombie
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe Great Change (and Other Lies) is a novella-length collection that gathers four short stories related to Joe Abercrombie's The Age of Madness, featuring old friends and new: from smugglers to kings, from diamond-cutters to dress-makers, from the most apparently insignificant of slaves to the most feared man in the Union, Old Sticks himself... -
![The True Bastards by Jonathan French]()
The True Bastards by Jonathan French
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe sequel to The Grey Bastards--another irresistibly swashbuckling, swaggering, foul-mouthed adventure fantasy.Fetching was once the only female rider in the Lot Lands. Now she is the leader of her own hoof, a band of loyal half-orcs sworn to her command. But in the year since she took power, the True Bastards have struggled to survive... -
![Road Brothers by Mark Lawrence]()
Road Brothers by Mark Lawrence
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA volume of short stories by the bestselling author of THE BROKEN EMPIRE series, Mark Lawrence.An extended version of the earlier collection of the same title - 50% longer.This is a collection of fourteen stories of murder, mayhem, pathos, and philosophy, all set in the world of the Broken Empire... -
![Aching God by Mike Shel]()
Aching God by Mike Shel
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 24 ratings“Closer, mortal. You are here, finally, to feed the Aching God…” The days of adventure are passed for Auric Manteo. Retired to the countryside and isolated with his scars and riches, he no longer delves into forbidden ruins seeking dark wisdom and treasure. But just as old nightmares begin plaguing his sleep, he receives an urgent summons back to that old life... -
![Sin Eater by Mike Shel]()
Sin Eater by Mike Shel
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 20 ratings"I SHALL BAPTIZE YOU, SIR, AND MY BAPTISM WILL BURN YOUR FOLLY AND FLESH AWAY!"A year has passed since Auric Manteo descended into the haunted depths of a Djao ruin to return a lethal artifact, only to face down a bloodthirsty, imprisoned god. Now his daughter Agnes comes to bring him back to the capital with promises of hidden secrets finally revealed...
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